Old Friends, New Friends

Over the weekend, our family and another family went to a nearby lake.  The other family lives overseas, but they had come to the States for a few weeks.  The last time we did this was four years ago, and between the two families, we had 3 babies.  Now, we have 6 children between us.  The kids don't remember last time we were all together, but they loved playing this weekend... swimming, swapping hair bows, boating, hunting for Easter eggs.

What is most amazing to me about this weekend is the history behind it. My friend M and I have known each other since we were in pre-school and lived on the same street.  The picture of our daughters shown here is eerily similar to how we looked in the 70s.  In fact, I sent the photo to my mom who forwarded it to M's dad, and he asked where she dug this photo of us up from the 70s!  He was kidding, but it is similar.

This precious little 3-year-old girl is my god-daughter, and I had not gotten to spend much time with her until now since she lives in another country.  She is hysterical and truly reminds me so much of her mom ... her expressions, the careful way she sings So Long, Farewell , her desire to borrow things she likes--whether an item from your dinner plate or an item from your closet, her calm manner and peaceful smile.

When my daughter and my god-daughter were playing on Saturday evening at an outdoor restaurant, I could see M and me in the backyard of our childhood. The boys of the group this weekend were wild, banging sticks like swords, talking in booming voices, sweaty hair sticking to their foreheads; and these little girls were holding hands and trying to protect themselves. My daughter even walked up to the boys and shouted, "Can you please be calm for a minute!"  Like them, back in the day, M and I used to be on home base, "making ammo" and talking in the backyard, while the boys raced around from yard to yard,  playing war.

Today, I am thinking of the sweetness in these new friendships. Who knows what the future brings, but I sure hope these new friends will know the sweetness and certainty of being old friends.

Another Book to Read

In November, I got to hear Susan Baker speak at a book signing for her book Passing It On: An Autobiography with Spirit.  What struck me most was her honesty.  Though she touched on the notable public life she has had, along with her husband former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, she spoke in the same breath of her personal life--made up of suffering, joy, blessings, and faith.  I was especially moved by her use of this time to glorify God.  In a room full of nicely dressed women at a country club, Susan Baker was more interested in being real and pointing towards her personal savior Jesus Christ than she was about impressing anyone with stories of Washington and rubbing shoulders with the elite.

Last week, I finally read her book. That same humility mixed with humor and faith shone through each chapter. Beginning with her life growing up on a ranch, moving through marriage, children, divorce, remarriage, blending and growing family, politics, tragic deaths, and even cancer, she writes of each event through a faith perspective.  The book is very much her spiritual journey, as anchored by different events, rather than a political story or family memoir.  The last couple of chapters even read more like a devotional or a book to be used in a women's Bible study.  I gleaned much practical wisdom from her chapter on prayer (chapter 14, "Why Pray?").

Prayer seems to undergird almost every aspect of her personal story--from the moment she truly came to know God in a personal way to the public arena of Washington to surviving her battle with cancer.  Prayer in Washington was compelling to read about, especially the non-partisan prayer group to pray for First Lady Hilary Clinton and another prayer group for Iraq. What an amazing behind-the-scenes look at life in our nation's capitol.

Originally meant to be a story of encouragement and lessons learned for her own family, Passing It On certainly offers encouragement and wisdom for me, too. I think it is critical for us to hear from older, wiser people at each step of our lives, and if we don't have a formal mentor at the moment, a good book can provide direction and food for thought.

Embrace the Wait

Over 12 years ago, I wrote a poem called "Waiting."  No matter how much time passes, we still go through seasons of waiting. Or even simply days of waiting. Waiting is hard. I like to know things for certain, have them wrapped up neatly with a bow. 

I guess waiting can take different forms:
...the giddy with anticipation times of waiting... like finding out if the baby in your tummy is a boy or a girl. 
...or the fear-inducing times of waiting, like wanting the results of an MRI.
...and then the waiting on circumstances outside of our control, maybe outside any human control.  Waiting on God.

Sometimes the waiting makes us weary, as in when a longing in our chest hasn't been fulfilled. 

Sometimes the waiting motivates us. ...What can I be doing in the meantime?

And sometimes like today, I have felt like a balloon drifting aimlessly in the sky, dodging tree branches and telephone wires, trying to stay afloat.

I had the thought today, though, that though I feel like someone let go of this balloon, I know I am tethered. I know God has me.  Even if I feel a bit tossed about in the breeze, I should enjoy the ride because I am in His hands.  Maybe He gave me a longer string today, but He's still holding it. 

My poem from 1998 is:

"Waiting"

The arc
of the sway
of the hammock
should bring a lullaby.

The arc
of the sway
of the hammock
makes the limbo sigh.

That's all it says. But today, while the sway is making me a little seasick, I want to rest in the hammock. I want to feel caught in the trees and know that I'm caught. I want to embrace the wait and see what it has for me.

Revelation Song

Today during naptime, I sat down to read a little in my Bible study and write in my journal. But I didn't feel like it. I just kept wanting to hear this awesome song we sang in church yesterday. But I didn't know who sang it.  And I could only think of part of the chorus--"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty." I knew I couldn't get too far on Google because of the hymn "Holy, holy, holy."

That was my favorite part of church yesterday. That song. It was so awesome. I just felt like we were all the children singing to the Lord like it talks about in Revelation.

So today I decided to put on Pandora, and just type in Third Day because I love their newish song and really all their songs. And I could listen to lead singer Mac Powell's voice all day long.

I sat there and sang with my eyes closed to the first two songs--gorgeous Third Day songs--and was thankful that no matter all the busy-ness and hard, sad things I have heard in the last couple of days, no matter the blessings and joy and laughter, no matter the anxiety and fears and tears... He is faithful and so big and so there, available, here, present.

And then... the third song... the one I wanted all along! The one from church yesterday... I could belt it out again!  I could pull up the lyrics to have all the words! 

So here's the song:  "Revelation Song" by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.  I'm going to go listen again.